Nevada students return to school 1 week after shooting

Sparks Middle School students walk past a fence with ribbons and flowers left as a memorial to slain teacher Michael Landsberry on Oct. 28, 2013, the first day of school since the school shooting a week ago.(Photo: Marilyn Newton, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal)

"Just the thought of it happening again is really scary," said eighth-grader Antonio Ochoa, as he arrived at school with his father at his side.

School staff, Washoe County School District officials, counselors, former teachers from the school and even a few therapy dogs, made up a welcoming committee that greeted students as they entered and made their way to the multi-purpose room and cafeteria for breakfast before the first-period bell.

"Schools are still the safest place to be for children," said Mike Mieras, Washoe County School District police chief. "Parents, talk to your kids and have those honest conversations. We have counselors here, and we have Secret Witness. If your child does feel a little unsafe, come in and talk to those individuals."

One week had gone by since Jose Reyes, 12, brought a semi-automatic 9-mm pistol on campus and fired shots in the schoolyard. In three minutes starting at 7:16 a.m. PT, he shot a fellow student in the shoulder, killed math teacher Michael Landsberry and shot a second student in the abdomen before fatally shooting himself. The other two 12-year-old students had wounds that were not life threatening.

School was closed for the remainder of the week although school opened its doors Wednesday to staff and Thursday to students. Counseling was offered and a memorial held. More than 400 students and staff returned for a ceremony honoring Landsberry; the school has 630 students.

“For those kids who physically witnessed (Michael) Landsberry shot, that is forever etched in their brains.”

Gabrielle Totton, Trauma Intervention Programs of Northern Nevada

Ochoa said Monday that he was looking forward to being with his classmates.

"It's a good chance for people just to talk to each other," he said.

Katherine Loudon, director of counseling for the school district, said Monday is be about giving students and teachers a return to normality.

"We know the healing process is going to take a long time," said Superintendent Pedro Martinez of the Washoe County School District.

Several students had said they feel scared and unsafe at school. The shooting was the second middle school shooting in seven years in Washoe County. In 2006 in neighboring Reno, Nev., a 14-year-old Pine Middle School student fired shots in a school hallway, injuring two students.

Nationally, violent deaths in schools are rare, according to a federal report released last year from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. During the 2010-11 school year, the latest data available, 11 homicides occurred among children at schools around the country.

Memories of last week's shooting are still fresh, and an appropriate reintegration process is needed, said Executive Director Gabrielle Totton of Trauma Intervention Programs of Northern Nevada.

"Last time they were there, they were running for their lives," Totton said. "So in their minds, there are a lot of things they think they are coming back to."

Moments after the shooting, police interviewed 30 to 40 students who said they had witnessed the shooting or were believed to have been in the area just outside the school building.

"There is a lot of disbelief … a lot of fear," Totton said. "They are scared. It's a scary thing to see at that age. For those kids who physically witnessed Landsberry shot, that is forever etched in their brains."

Parents must keep an open avenue of communication with children, she said.

"Everybody grieves differently," she said.

Investigators say Reyes got the gun from his home, which could subject his parents to prosecution, and say they haven't determined a motive yet and don't know whether Reyes was shooting randomly or targeting victims.

During a vigil last week, Brigitte Grider said her daughter, Skylah, was finding it difficult to discuss the shooting.

Skylah, a seventh-grader, remembers hearing gunshots and walking past bodies on the ground Monday. She said she was "sad and scared to go back to school."

"She doesn't like to think about," her mother said. "All I can do is be there for her. We are just taking it day by day."